On March 28, 2025, two powerful earthquakes struck the Southeast Asian country of Myanmar on the same day. These were the strongest earthquakes Myanmar has seen in more than a century, and there were more than 100 aftershocks in the following days.
About 5,300 people died in this tragedy. More than 9 million others were directly affected by severe damage to their homes, schools, hospitals, livelihoods and essential infrastructure.
A collapsed building in Sagaing — a hard-hit city close to the earthquake’s epicenter.
As with nearly every disaster, the people who have the very least have suffered the most. These families were already living through the world’s longest civil war, which has spanned nearly eight decades. Violence has increased in the past five years as a new phase of conflict began.
Thankfully, your love has been there to bring comfort and humanitarian aid to our neighbors in their great time of need.
Food crisis in Myanmar after earthquake
The earthquakes in Myanmar caused widespread devastation and affected every part of people’s lives. Families lost their homes. Thousands of schools collapsed, disrupting children’s education. Nearly 6,000 places of worship were damaged or destroyed.
A collapsed building in Mandalay, one of LWR's target support areas.
One of the most urgent problems was the loss of markets and livelihoods quickly turned into a food crisis. Supply chains were disrupted, causing food shortages and driving up prices.
Additionally, the arrival of monsoon season in late May meant people would soon be at greater risk for respiratory and waterborne diseases like diarrhea, cholera and typhoid. Adding a disaster and unsanitary living conditions on top of monsoon season means the risk of getting sick would increase dramatically.
Earthquake response in Myanmar continues
Food distribution in the Sagaing Region. Each food kit costs about $33 USD (including transport) and includes rice, beans, cooking oil and salt.
Thanks to the incredible compassion of our donors, Lutheran World Relief and our partners mobilized quickly to provide relief in Myanmar's Mandalay and Sagaing regions. Our targets include:
- Emergency food distribution to 2,000 people
- Cash assistance for food to 90 households (450 people)
- Non-food essentials such as hygiene supplies (777 people)
- Sanitary latrines for families
- Assistive devices for people with disabilities
- Trauma counseling for 1,500 children
You may not be able to control when, where or if a disaster may strike. But we are thankful that we can always count on you to rush aid to help God’s children in an emergency.
As a representative from one of our local partner organizations said, “Please know that your support not only save lives — it helps sustain the resilience and spirit of a people who have endured immense hardship over the past five years.”